Brush-on packages



June 6, 1967 051" 3,323,62

BRUSH-ON PACKAGES Filed July 6, 1965 M M HNVENTOBI? JAMES W. KDST BY n Q If, L. 1 4 U: .{Q W y,

United States Patent 3,323,642 BRUSH-0N PACKAGES James Walter Kost, 8 W. Chicago Ave., Naperville, Ill. 60540 Filed July 6, 1965, Ser. No. 469,407 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-56) This invention relates to containers, or packages, for dispensably holding material capable of being applied by a brush. The principal object is to provide a container, or package, of the foregoing character which is economical to produce, does not require contact of either hand with the substance to be dispensed, and permits substantially all of the packaged material to be readily removed by the dispensing brush before the package is discarded, or is returned empty (but reusable) for credit or refund.

Heretofore, attempts to meet the recognized need for a suitable container for brush-on material of the class including hair-cream, dental cream, shoe polish, and the like have had disadvantages and draw-backs which have not been heretofore overcome so far as applicant is aware.

For example, hair-dressing (commonly containing lanolin) are usually sold as bottled liquids, with directions to pour into the hand and rub onto and into the hair preparatory to the brushing thereof. Spillage often results, and the hands require washing or other cleaning after each such application of the liquid hair dressing.

As a second example, shoe polish is ordinarily supplied as a soft brush-on wax, or the like, in a cup-like container which has a removable cover. While such a container serves to keep the shoe polish from drying out for a long time, it has the disadvantage that the polish remaining in the container becomes increasingly more dimcult to be effectively reached by the applying brush, as the remaining polish presents an exposed surface of increasing concavity. Finally, the central portion of the bottom of the container is exposed while a considerable portion of the unused polish remains around and against the side walls of the container which polish is very difficult to engage by the applying brush, causing many users to discard the container and its unused ring of polish.

As a third example, dental cream (often called tooth paste) is commonly supplied in collapsible screw-cap tubes out of which it is squeezed to lie on the surface of the usual tooth brush, which it usually does, but is quite often dropped before the brush is placed in the mouth. Moreover, the tube commonly wrinkles and distorts, even when reasonably well rolled up, starting at the distant end, thus trapping a sizeable portion of the tube contents against expulsion. Further, the orifice portion itself of the tube contains a substantial amount of the cream or paste when the tube has been collapsed as fully as is practicable. Thus, a substantial portion of the initial contents of such a tube still remains unused when the used tube is discarded.

According to the invention, the foregoing drawbacks are avoided by (l) supplying the brush-on material in the form of a comparatively thick cake or disc of the desired material in a consistency higher than that of the usual dental cream, which consistency may approach that of a cake of toilet soap, and by (2) providing the noted material with an oversize container which comprises (a) a base member upon which the noted cake or disc is held centrally in place by adhesion to the top surface of the base, and (b) a cover which is detachably held in sealing contact with the base and entirely out of contact with the contents of the container.

An outstanding feature of the invention is that the brush-0n material remains fully exposed to contact by the applying brush until such material is completely used up.

The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention, and the manner of obtaining them, will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be better understood, by referring to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken .in reference to the accompanying drawing comprising FIGS. 1 to 5, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view, partly broken away, of a container comprising a chosen illlustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view, partly in section, of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged-scale view of the lower right-hand portion of the structure; and

FIG. 5 is an applying brush suitable for use with the structure of FIGS. 1 to 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the container comprises a base 1 and a cover 3, and it contains a disc or cake 2 of brush-0n material. The base 1 and the cover 3 may each be composed of molded or die-cast material, such as a thern10-plastic material, or may comprise a light-weight metal if so desired. All three of the items (base, container contents, and cover) 1 to 3 are preferably round, as shown.

The base 1 is provided with upright knurls 6 all around its lower peripheral portion, the portion below the annular ledge against which the bottom edge of cover 3 lies when the cover is in its illustrated closed position, in which position it is held my matched molded-in screw threads 4 (FIGS. 2 and 4) which are male threads of base 1 and female threads of cover 3. The knurls 6, are preferably molded in with the remainder of base 1. They assist in grasping the base 1 firmly while the cover 3 is turned from closed position to disengage threads 4 for removal of cover 3, as well as when a brush such .as 10 (FIG. 5) is rubbed across the then exposed top face of brush-on material 2 to gather a film or portion of material 2 for brush application thereof, as to the hair. Base 1 is comparatively thick vertically (the combined height of the knurled portion 6 and of screw-thread portion 4) and is of hollow construction to conserve material and to avoid an excessive thickness of molded material. Base 1 is made relatively rigid by concentric center ring 7, the four tie vanes 8, and the concentric corrugations 5 in the supporting portion of the base 1.

The composition and consistency of the disc or cake 2 of brush-on material may vary widely, depending upon the use (hair dressing, tooth cleanser, or shoe polish for example) for which it is compounded. It is to be noted (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) that items 2 and 3 are so dimensioned that a substantial clearance gap 9 lies between cake or disc 2 and cover 3 when the container 6 is closed. Thus, the brush-on material 2 is held centrally on base 1 out of contact with cover 3 and in contact with the supporting surface of base 2, leaving the top surface and defining side walls of item 2 fully exposed to brush application when cover 3 is removed. Preferably, in manufacturing, brush-on cake or disc 2 is pressed (or molded) into intimate contact with the upper support surface of base 1 to cause the lower surface of 2 and the upper surface of 1 to adhere firmly together, such adherence being promoted by the corrugations 5 of base 1 which corrugations are caused to impress matching corrugations in the lower surface of cake 2.

As the cake or disc 2 is used up, by repeated applications thereto of the applying brush (such as 10 to 12 of FIG. 5), the convoluted or corrugated adherent surfaces of contact between 2 and 3 prevent sliding of item 2 on base 1.

When item 2 is almost all used up, additional brushing contacts by the applying brush (10, FIG. 5, with body 11 and bristles 12) permit the bristles of such brush to smoothly enter the exposed valleys of the upper surface of 5 to remove substantially all traces of the used-up brush-on material 2. The then empty and swept-clean container 1, 3 may be returned and exchanged for a filled or new container. Alternatively, the user may be instructed to keep the cover 3 and to exchange the base 1 for one having a new item 2 adherent thereto, which base cooperates with the original cover 3 to provide a new refilled container as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

Clearly, when desired, or when an applying brush is not available, the contents of the package may be applied as (for example) by a pad, or applied by the fingers, or even by rubbing the exposed surface of brush-on material 2 directly onto the hair, teeth, or shoe, for example, which is to receive it. Thus, since the disclosed brush-on material may be applied other than by brush, it is clearly understood that the expression brush-on is to be taken as inclusive of all generally analogous methods or means of application of such material.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus and specific purposes, is to be clearly understood that the description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention.

I claim:

A package of material to be applied with a brush or the like, said package comprising in combination:

(a) a circular downwardly opening hollow base including a lower grasping portion of a given diameter and having a roughened peripheral surface to facilitate grasping the base, a cover securing portion above said power portion, of a diameter smaller than said given diameter to define an upardly facing annular ledge at the junction of said portions, and having a peripheral surface defining threads, and a surmounting support surface joining the top of the cover securing portion, said support surface being generally horizontal in the plane of said top While defining a plurality of smooth corrugations;

(b) a cake of said material centrally on said support surface in intimate adherent contact therewith, said cake being cylindrical of a lesser diameter than said support surface whereby its periphery is inside the peripheral surface of said cover securing portion; and

(c) an inverted cup like cover surrounding said cake and spaced therefrom, the cover having its lower portion threaded and in engagement with the threads of the cover securing portion and its lower edge in continuous sealing contact with said annular ledge;

whereby said cap may be removed by grasping it and said roughened surface and unscrewing the cap whereupon said cake is fully exposed for access thereto by said brush or the like and said corrugations facilitate the adherence of said cake to said supporting surface.

References Qited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,109,955 3/ 1938i Carson. 2,637,617 3/1953 Stotter 312-284 2,691,439 10/1954 Davis. 2,767,834 10/1956 Sherman. 2,990,054 6/1961 Gellman 20637 3,015,120 1/ 1962 Anderson 15258 FOREIGN PATENTS 383,586 11/1932 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

MARTHA L. RICE, Examiner. 

